Prime Minister Modi has inaugurated the production of the Maruti Suzuki eVitara, the company’s first mass-produced EV, in Gujarat. Check its features, global export plans, battery manufacturing milestones, and how it shapes India’s EV future.
Maruti Suzuki eVitara: India gets its first historic Electric Vehicle Milestone
The production of the Maruti Suzuki eVitara is a landmark moment in the Indian automobile industry as Prime Minister Narendra Modi has put it into gear. The eVitara is manufactured specifically in the Suzuki Motor Gujarat (SMG) plant making it India s first mass-produced EV that is highly focused on global exports.
The initial consignment is to be loaded onto Pipavav Port this month to destinations in major European markets, namely UK, Germany, Frances, Italy and Norway. The eVitara, unlike most ICE-to-EV conversions, shares an EV-specific platform that provides optimized design, increased safety and performance.
Make in India, Make to the World – Exports of EV Push
The eVitara has already created a buzz at Milan Auto Show and the Bharat Mobility Global Expo and Maruti Suzuki is looking forward to becoming a major global player in terms of EVs. This is a launch in line with the vision of Make in India and Make for the World wherein the company wants India to become a global EV manufacturing hub.
First Lithium-ion Cell & Electrode Manufacturer in India
Along with the launch of the eVitara, the TDS Lithium-Ion Battery Gujarat unit marked another milestone by the commencement of localised manufacturing of lithium-ion cells and electrodes in India.
The first production will underscore Maruti Suzuki Grand Vitara Strong Hybrid
Installed capacity: 18 million cells per year, with capacity to expand by the addition of 12 million cells in the future.
This localisation will have a reduced import dependency, strengthen the hybrid and EV ecosystem in India, and align with the government (self-reliant India) vision of Aatmanirbhar Bharat.
India is a country where the Suzuki Group has a firm commitment.
Suzuki has substantially invested in India over 1,00,000 crore and resulted in11 lakh+ jobs across its value chain. SMG plant has already surpassed 4 million units in only 8 years becoming one of the fastest-growing Suzuki subsidiaries in the world
The facility at Gujarat is currently manufacturing models like Baleno, Swift, Fronx and most recently the eVitara.
In his speech made at the occasion, Toshihiro Suzuki, the President of Suzuki Motor Corporation, stated:
We are motivated to invest and get innovative in India by the vision of the Prime Minister Modi to build on Make in India and Aatmanirbhar Bharat. The production of the eVitara and lithium-ion will allow it to offer technologies that minimize oil imports and carbon emissions where EVs, strong hybrids, and alternative fuel vehicles are concerned.
This is one of the defining moments in the evolution of EV in India.
The introduction of the Maruti Suzuki eVitara and the domesticization of high-quality lithium-ion has allowed India to make a very tangible step towards global EV and hybrid production leadership.
The First electric vehicle export to India
Near-sourcing lithium-ion cell & electrode ecosystem
Amplify to affordable, sustainable and global EV mobility
Like the Maruti 800 brought revolution in mobility in the 1980s, the eVitara is the start of the EV revolution in India.
